AMAZING

On Saturday, June 5th, we had an open house for our family and friends to come and meet Alesha. It seemed like a fun thing to do and beat having several people come multiple times a day, day after day. Alesha has a blast at her party! She was the center of attention, crawling around, babbling, playing, and so excited to see all the people. She is such a social little girl. As long as mommy is close by she is happy as can be. It was such a blessing to introduce our daughter to all of the people who had prayed for her and our family during our long journey. I think it was as fun for them as it was for us to finally see the gift of Alesha right before their eyes.

We have been home for 2 weeks now and are adjusting amazingly well. Alesha had her first doctor's appt on June 1st her 15 month birthday. She weighed in at 14lb 7oz and is 28 1/2 inches long. The doctor didn't have any concerns other than getting her to gain some weight. She will go in again on June 15th for a weight check.

It has been so wonderful watching Alesha's personality come to light right before our eyes. She is such a happy little girl. We feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful transition. The first week of sleep was really hard. We spent 4-5 hours each night playing and then crying and fussing for the first 3 nights we were home. We then had an awful night of night terrors. After that she has been sleeping 11 to 12 hours straight through at night in her own crib. We tried the co-sleeping, but she didn't sleep well, moves constantly, and would wake up all night long. I think she likes her big crib and all the room to roll around :-)

Some things we have learned about Alesha so far:

1. This girl has some CRAZY hair.

2. Her food must be hot! Especially bottles, but also bananas and cereal. She will turn her head and push away if the temperature is not to her liking.
3. She is an active little girl. Crawling around and pulling herself up on the furniture is great fun for her.

4. She is very inquisitive and focused. When given a toy or any item she will feel around the entire thing, look intently at it, see what it can do, and hold it for a long time.

5. Bath time is the highlight of her day. She splashes around, laughs, enjoys the water being poured on her (including her head!). She cries every time it is time to get out. Funny thing is when I gave her a bath a couple weeks ago she would just sit in one place and play. I would have her stand up and give her a final rinse before getting out. Fast forward 2 weeks and now she is crawling all over the tub and refuses to stand up for the final rinse, because she has figured out that the final rinse means it is time to get out of the tub, and she doesn't want ANY part it! Silly girl :-)

Doesn't she look SO TINY in our tub?
6. She loves her brothers. She smiles and plays with them and enjoys having them carry her around the house. It fills my heart with joy so see my boys with their sister. They waited SO long for her to finally be home. Luke told me the other day that he couldn't believe she is really home and that she is so much more than he ever thought she would be. Doesn't that just warm a mama's heart?

7. Alesha is not very fond of men. I think her only contact with men was with doctors. She has finally warmed up to Darin. It is so fun to watch them together. They have a morning routine of going on a walk together. There relationship is growing stronger every day.

8. She is the slowest eater! It can take her 40 minutes to drink an 8oz bottle. She does not chew any food right now. She has really stepped up her cereal intake and we have added bananas, yogurt, mashed potatoes, and squash to her diet and they seem to be working well. My boys were the fastest eaters I had ever seen so this little girl is God's way of slowing me down a bit.

There have been a number of times that I look at Alesha and am overwhelmed by emotion. The tears just fill my eyes as I look at this miracle God has blessed us with. So many people say Alesha is so blessed to be part of our family and we say that WE feel blessed having her in our family. She is truly a joy. Her smile and beautiful big dark brown eyes warm every body's heart that she comes in contact with.

We could not be more thankful to God for allowing us to be Alesha's mommy, daddy, and brothers. She is such a blessing and we feel like she has always been a part of our family.

I haven't forgotten about blogging about our trip, but there is A LOT to blog about and I haven't had much time to devote to it. It will come hopefully soon.